Podcasts

Is austerity really coming to an end? And are the rich getting richer thanks to the Government? In the This is Money podcast this week, editor Simon Lambert, assistant editor Lee Boyce and host Georgie Frost analyse the 2018 Budget. Money for the NHS, little extras for schools, cash for roads, help for the High Street and the baby rabbit in the hat - pulling the rise in the basic and higher rate tax thresholds to £12,500 and £50,000, respectively, a year earlier than promised. We also talk about what a no Brexit deal means for interest rates? We heard from the Bank of England this week about the likely impact such a scenario could have on interest rates and how quickly they will go up – or not. Despite sticking this week to 0.75%, the decision came with a few notes of warning – largely that it was based on a 'smooth transition' for Brexit. And finally, we report on the latest in our 'stop the private parking sharks' campaign - how the good people of Essex town Basildon have taken to the streets to protest about one firm running a car park and dishing out charges.

Want to keep up with the latest earnings updates from the States? Well join Chris Hill and the Motley Fool Radio Show team here on Share Radio, direct from Washington DC, for news, views and analysis of the US stocks that matter. In this week's show: Shares of Apple fall despite quarterly profits rising 41%; Starbucks hits an all-time high; Fitbit and Under Amour give shareholders a reason to smile; Kraft Heinz and GE hit new lows; Ron Gross, Jason Moser, and Matt Argersinger analyze those stories, along with the latest results from Alibaba, Shake Shack, MercadoLibre, Spotify, Teladoc, and Yum Brands; Plus, we share three stocks on our radar.

Adam talks to IEMT trainer and founder of Interesting Talks (the largest Meetup Group in London) Matt Kendall. They discuss the latest technology in dealing with trauma and anxiety and also explore the perils of the personal development industry. They highlight that many people drawn to personal development seminars are often vulnerable people with mental health issues prompted to sign up for expensive courses. They question whether the industry actually solves problems or just perpetuates a myth of success and accomplishments for financial gain.

Abundance Investment is a crowdfunding platform that raises cash for green and social infrastructure projects. Abundance is currently looking for people in its own business and it's doing that via the Seedrs platform. Ed Bowsher spoke to Louise Wilson, co-founder and managing director of Abundance.

Steve Caplin enlightens us about a demonstration of what 5G will be able to do, on Amazon extending its Alexa services, of the consequences of mistakes on Google Maps, on autonomous taxis to launch in London in 2021, of the invention of plastic from potatoes, on the world's lightest phone stabiliser, on a concert hologram of Amy Winehouse and on the French navy using albatrosses to track illegal fishing boats.

James Cameron-Wilson discusses the amazingly strong box office debut of Bohemian Rhapsody about Queen and Freddie Mercury, as well as the other new film, The Hate U Give. For home release, he strongly recommends Whitney, Kevin Macdonald's documentary about the singer.

Helal Miah of The Share Centre looks at recent results from BP & Shell, HSBC & Standard Charters, Glaxo, Next and BT. He also looks ahead, telling us what we might expect from Associated British Foods, Marks & Spencer, Burberry and Sainsbury's and Morrison's.

“The era of austerity is finally coming to an end”, announced Philip Hammond in his Budget Day speech. Well it certainly seemed like it, judging by the Chancellor’s policy announcements, which included a slew of new spending commitments – all with very little detail on how any of it was to be funded. There were pledges of more than £20bn in additional annual funding for the NHS by 2023, an extra £779m for social care, £1bn for the armed forces and £675m for a ‘Future High Streets’ fund, to name but a few. But with UK debt still approaching 88%, the highest level since 1966, is it fair or just to turn on the spending taps and ask the next generation to carry the burden and eventually foot the bill. So, was this an almost-Halloween Budget full of taxation tricks and unfunded treats? Joining us to give their take on yesterday’s Budget, policy changes and spending commitments is Mark Littlewood, Director General at the IEA and Kate Andrews, Associate Director at the IEA.

Analysing the 2018 Budget are Professor Tim Evans, Professor of Business and Political Economy at Middlesex Business School and financial journalist and broadcaster Ed Bowsher. In conversation with Simon Rose they discuss what they feel was a heavily political Budget. What did he get right and what wrong? Is this the end of austerity? Should the Chancellor have kept back more of his unexpected windfall? How can the extra money for the NHS be most wisely spent? Will his "digital services tax" redress the balance between online and bricks and mortar retailers? Should more have been done for the environment? Should Philip Hammond give up joke-telling? All this and more in our expert analysis.